Cottonwood District No. 16by Arthur Ryberg(transcribed from the Mellette County 1911-1961 book, published August 15, 1961 by the Mellette County Centennial Committee)Cottonwood School District No. 16 was organized in 1922 and included most of Township 44 Range 29 and Township 43 Range 29. It was enlarged in 1955 with addition of Texsam School District No. 27 which included the south 24 sections of Township 43 Range 30. The first school board members were: Walter Lindquist, chairman; John Wacek, treasurer; and Fred Hutchinson, clerk. In 1922 the Rucker School house was moved to its present location in the southeast corner of Section 29, Township 43 Range 29 and was named the Valley View School. The Cottonwood School was moved to Section 16, Township 43 Range 29 and was then known as the Longview School. Both of these schools began operation in the fall of 1922. Longview had Jesse A. Shaffer as its first teacher with nine students and Valley View had Catherine M. Shaffer as its first teacher with nine pupils. Both schools remained in operation for the 1923-1924 and 1924-1925 terms with H. D. Bryant and J. B. Smith as teachers in the Longview School and their wives, Mrs. Evalena Bryant and Mrs. J. B. Smith, as teachers in the Valley View School. The Longview School was discontinued after the 1924-1925 term and the building was later sold to Everett Green for an addition to his home. The Valley View School remained in operation as the only school in the district from 1925 until the spring of 1933, with a school bus being run for the Students in the north portion of the district. Bus drivers were in order: Frank Wynnia, Albert Terbell, Chester Lindquist, two years; V. R. Branson, J. Glenn Raffensperger, and Chester Lindquist again the last two years. The teacher during this period were in order: J. B. Smith, two terms; Lavera Pigg, Sybil Astleford, V. R. Branson, two terms; Florence Branson, and Rosa Wacek. In 1933 the school house, which was used for the Toledo School from 1917 to 1920, was moved to a new location in the northeast corner of Section 7, Township 43 Range 29 and placed in operation by the Cottonwood District as the second Longview School and remained in operation along with the Valley View School until the spring of 1937. The Longview School had Lavera Lindquist, Dulcie Tompkins, and Warren Joneschiet, two terms, as its teachers during this period. The teachers in the Valley View School during the same period were Rosa Wacek, three terms, and Hazel Joneschiet. Since 1937 there has been no school held in the Longview School with the building later being sold to Andrew Swan. The building has been left on the same location as when it was last used for a school. The Valley View School remained in operation until 1956 with the exception of the 1948-1949 term with the following teachers in order: Hazel Joneschiet, Warren Joneschiet, two terms; Irene Gillen, two terms; Zona Rajewich, Irma Pigg, A. C. Howlett, Marguerite Green, two terms; Everett Green, Jr., Florence Branson, Burdine Koellman, Eva Lambert, Gene Green, Thelma Bucholz, and Shirley McKee, two terms. There has been no school operated in the district since 1956. The Valley View School building still belongs to the district and has remained on the same location to which it was moved in 1922. There have been a total of 116 students who have received a part or all of their grade school education at the schools operated by this district since 1922. The students who have attended school in the district since it was organized are: Rosa, Bernard, and Luree Wacek; Rhodine, Reuben, and Thelma Barton; Fred, Warren, Ralph, Florence and George Rhoades; Clarence Westbrook, Jack Shaffer, Theodore, Walter, and Howard Hanson; Florence McDonald, Franklin, Dorothy, Kenna, and Frances Wynnia; Jake, Lenora, Julius, Edith Leonard, Lawrence, Ernest, and Carl Kline; Alvin, Stanley, Cleota, Bud, and Vernon Estes; Arthur Roseboom, Joseph and Mary Pigg; Wilma and Clyde Giroux; Willis, Hobart, Edward, and Lucille Hutchinson; Hazel, Lawerence, Jr., and Zelma DeMarche; Fern and Geneva Goodsell; Junior Sipple, Warren and Herbert Astleford; Glen Holden, Myrna, Irma, Russell, and Etta Adams; Calvin, Dorothy, and Laura Hughes; Arlene Branson, Evelyn Murkle, Marion, Louise, Leonard, Kenneth, and Marie Lindquist; Robert Millay, Robert Salmon, Paul, Lauretta and Lucille Masterson; Alferd Tompkins, Harold Sanders, Elsie, Enid, Arthur, and Marllee Ryberg; Marguerite, Everett, Jr., Darlene, Gene, Bobby, Alan, and Jeanette Green; June, Barbara, and Margaret Christensen; Gracie, Wilda, Melva, and Gertrude Hay; Charlotte and Lavonne Gerdon; Gordon Voss, Joseph Kinyon, Eddie Schwartz, Joe Rajewich, Jr., Victor, Phyllis and Elmer Pigg; Margaret, Ralph, James, Patty, Norman, Charles, and Phyllis Kingery; Eddie Burnette, Duane Rada, Wayne Shouldis, Myron Nieuwenhius, Jeanine, Darold, and Deanna Gere; Jerald Waddington, Melvin Rada, Karen Bucholz, and Jack Turpitt. School board members for the district since its formation were: Chairman-Walter Lindquist, 1922-1925; Otto Hanson, 1925-1934; Andrew Swan, 1934-1937; Everett Green, 1937-1955; Thelma Rada, 1955-1958; and Gene Green, 1958 to present. Clerk: Fred Hutchinson, 1922-1947; Andrew Swan, 1947-1954; Helmuth Bucholz, 1954-1955; Fern Green, 1955-1958; and Arthur Ryberg, 1958 to present. Treasurer-John Wacek, 1922-1933; Mrs. Rosa Wacek, 1933; Fred Lindquist, 1933-1948; and Roy Rada, 1948 to present.

Early Schools in Cottonwood District No. 16by Arthur Ryberg(transcribed from the Mellette County 1911-1961 book, published August 15, 1961 by the Mellette County Centennial Committee)Prior to the organization of Cottonwood District No. 16 in 1922, the following schools were in operation in the general are of that district when it was formed. At that time these schools were a part of White River District No. 2. The first school in Toledo Community was in a shack on Sec. 6, 43-29, in 1913. Seven students enrolled and were taught by Frank C. Brown. School continued in this shack until 1917, when a new schoolhouse was built and used until 1920. During this period, 1915 to 1920, it was taught by Elmer Zickrick, Bessie Gapen (Mrs. L. K. Huey), Mrs. Sime Kent, and Theron Brodboll. Students who attended this school during its operation were: Gerald, Robert, Kenneth, Sybil, Howard, Grace, and Lotus Astleford; Carrie and Delbert Ridenour, Julius, Jake, and Lenora Kline; Joe and Kuth Giroux; Lawrence, Selva, Grace,Corenah, and Teddy DeMarche; Raymond Lindquist, Perry, George, and Adrian Hitchings; Mary Bonnet, Dean Kent, Howard Clarke, Gerald and Max Barton; James and John Terbell; Clayton and Harland Downs; Lara Lanydon, Ena and Georgia Davis, and Clarissa and Blayne Willsey. The schoolhouse remained on this location after Toledo School ceased until it was moved and opened as the second Longview School in Cottonwood District No. 16 in 1933. Rucker School, in 1915-1916, was held in the homestead shack of John Wacek, Sec.33,43-29, with Nellie Spear (Mrs. Dick Didier) as teacher. The Rhoades, Rucker, Barton, and Steele children attended. In 1917 a school house was built on Sec. 35, 43-29, and remained in operation until 1922, moved to its present location in Cottonwood District No. 16 and named the Valleyview School. Charging Elk School was opened in 1916 in the vacant Charging Elk house on Cottonwood Creek in Sec. 2-43-29 and was in operation until 1922 when the Longview School replaced it. The first teacher was Miss Brant Kent and the students were: Jake, Lenora, and Julius Kline; Carrie Ridenour, Joe and Keith Giroux; Alvin and David Estes. Later teachers included: Theron Brodboll, Mildred Lindquist, Selby Gallagher, Gertrude Johnson and V. R. Branson. Other students were Edith Kline, Delbert Ridenour, Stanley and Cleota Estes and David McLane. A school house was built southwest of John Wacek's in Sec. 32, T 43 R 29, and began operation on January 30, 1920 and was known as the Cottonwood School. The first teacher was Ruby Archer. The following year the school was taught by Glenn Raffensperger, and in the third and final term the school was taught by Edward Young. Students who attended this school for one or more of the years of its operation were: Harold, Gerald, Max, Rhodene, Reuben, and Thelma Barton; Ottilie, Rosina, Selma, and Esther Krugman; Roxie White, and Rosa and Bernard Wacek. When Cottonwood District No. 16 was formed in 1922 this school was moved and became the first Longview School in that district. Part of the students who had attended it then entered the Valley View School.

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